A rendering of the exterior of the planned Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton.

Provided by Craft Beer Cellar

Owned by brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Craft Beer Cellar is a franchise of a 4-year-old concept out of Belmont, Mass. The store, which will carry 900 to 1,000 craft brews, is set to open April 19.

The Nickelsons, who are Ohio natives, currently live in St. Louis. Both have been craft beer lovers since college: “When our friends were drinking Bud Light, we were drinking Bavarian Hefeweizen,” said Ryan Nickelson. “We always knew we wanted to do this.”

They found the 2,000-square-foot space by chance. Brandon Nickelson was having brunch at the restaurant half & half, at 8135 Maryland Ave., and saw the space was available. He was represented by Bill Barnes from NAI Desco.

The Nickelsons are gutting the space, pulling up green carpet and adding larger windows in front. The store will include a 300-square-foot walk-in cooler as well as tasting areas.

Josh Dunn of Dunn Home Improvement is doing the buildout, which costs $150,000, including the demolition and initial inventory. The store is completely self-funded.

Craft Beer Cellar was founded in 2010 by Kate Baker and Suzanne Schalow. Today, the company has eight locations and three others in development, including Clayton, Hartford, Conn., and Nashua, N.H. Franchisees pay a $10,000 franchise fee plus 2 percent royalties, according to the company’s website.

In Clayton, the Craft Beer Cellar will emphasize local brews. Beers will be organized by region. “There’s some amazing stuff coming out of St. Louis, and we want to showcase that,” said Ryan Nickelson.